1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to feeding arrangements for medical clip and stapling devices, particularly for the pinching or clipping of blood vessels or for the closure of wounds, and is related to commonly owned, co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.: 09/504,572 filed Feb. 15, 2000, entitled "Ladder-Type Medical Feeding Mechanism", and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Prior Art
Clips and surgical staplers have been used by physicians to replace suturing and for closing wounds or to tie-off blood vessels during a surgical procedure or other traumatic medical event. Such surgical clips and stapler applicators generally comprise of closed jaws, which crimp a U-shaped clip flat across the tissues to be tied or sutured. Typically, such an application device is arranged through the spaced clips in a sequential manner, those clips being fed serially to the jaws.
The tools typically in use dispense such clips to the jaws sequentially, the distalmost clip being pinched, and the next adjacent clip immediately therebehind being advanced immediately adjacent the pinched clip. Examples of such clip feeding arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,450 to Thornton et al, showing a clip feeding and dispenser mechanism which uses a spring to force the movement of clips in line with an applicator.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,847 to Noiles et al, shows a ratchet driven cartridge for advancing sequentially a plurality of staples. U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,585 to Mittelsteate et al, shows a ligating clip advancing device for advancing a plurality of clips along a track between a pair of pinched jaws. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,504 to Klieman et al, shows a spring activated homeostatic clip applicator wherein a double ratchet apparatus advances clips through a magazine to cause a clip-feed blade to slide through the magazine to place a clip in the deforming jaws. Each of the above identified prior art patents is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a medical clip feeding mechanism which is an improvement over the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a medical clip feeding mechanism which advances the distalmost clip into the jaws of the stapling device prior to the advancement of the next available clip moving along the feed track.
It is yet a still further object of the present invention, to provide a simple and easy to use clip feeder arrangement which is tolerant of slight dimensional irregularity in the clips or staplers utilized by the stapling device or gun and cycles the drive mechanism to engage and disengage the clips and their pusher member.